Will food, snacks for a Super Bowl party cost more this year?

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SALT LAKE CITY — Planning a big feed for the big game has certainly become a big deal and Super Bowl Sunday is a long-running second, trailing only Thanksgiving, when it comes to the biggest food consumption events in the U.S.

And, let's be honest, there have been a few editions of the NFL championship game where the tasty snacks easily outshined what went down on the field.

For the 57th iteration of the big game on Feb. 12, fans will be dropping significantly more bread for their buns, burgers and beverages thanks to inflation that's been running at or near 40-year highs for most of the past year.

But economists at Wells Fargo have crunched the numbers and suggest, with a little pre-game strategizing, stocking up for Super Bowl buffets this year doesn't have to break the bank and there are even a few deals to be had when it comes feeding family and friends on Super Bowl Sunday.

Don't chicken out

Poultry producers upped their own game in 2022, and Wells Fargo reports consumers will find the supply of chicken at the highest level since the beginning of 2019. Last year's cache of wings and such took a major hit thanks to widespread outbreaks of avian flu and feed prices that were pumped up thanks to lingering pandemic-related supply chain issues. A year ago, the USDA weekly retail price report showed whole chicken wings at a staggering $3.38 per pound for the week of the Super Bowl, per the Wells report. But as of Jan. 6, the average U.S. price for whole chicken wings came in at $2.65 per pound.

Hoofing it over the line

Overall grocery prices are up almost 12% from this time last year, but sirloin steak prices are down $1 per pound from last December. Ground beef is up a bit since Super Bowl LVI but down, according to the Wells Fargo analysis, from elevated prices this past summer. On the plus side, if pork is your jam, the average price of bacon has eased since the Rams bested the Bengals last February.

Avocados are a fruit. No, seriously.

Things got a little crazy in the avocado market last year thanks to a temporary U.S. ban in February 2022 on imports from Mexico (the country that grows around 80% of the avocados consumed by Americans) after an incident involving a U.S. food inspector. That move pushed prices up dramatically. But this time around, everything is cool and the essential ingredient for game day guacamole is down 20% from last year.

Scooping up your favorite dips will, unfortunately, set you back a bit more than last year as prices on tortilla chips and potato chips have climbed. But frugal-minded Wells Fargo economists point out that do-it-yourself veggie trays are a bargain option and particularly so when compared to prices for pre-packaged or ready-to-eat options.

Bubbles, bubbles toil and troubles

Toasting your team and washing down those wings is set to set you back a bit more than last year, whether imbibing is part of your Super Bowl party plans, or not.

Beer, wine and spirits are all up over this time last year at a rate of 11%, 4% and 2%, respectively. But the biggest price pop is for soda (looking at you, Diet Coke fiend) with the average price of a sweet sipping effervescent up 25%, thanks to upticks in the costs of ingredients and shipping. That said, the Wells Fargo bean counters note the average price of a 2-liter bottle will still only set you back $2.13.